The Quest Within a Quest
by I'mSufferingOfCerealBoredom
Summary: Percy and Annabeth have just returned to the Argo II, and not as innocent as they were prior to this adventure. But, with meddling gods and primordials in the way, their paths have changed. With home a world away, the two lovable heroes have to follow a separate destiny in order to get back to their own.


**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

** A quick note before the story begins: This is a response to ** nofunnybusnies**'s prompt (see ****Challenge 2****). The guidelines can be found there. Just so you're aware, updates won't be frequent, and the writing may not be the best quality.**

**NOTE WITHIN THE NOTE: The large chunk of text in italics is the last chapter from ****The House of Hades**** by Rick Riordan, so you guys know beforehand and don't burn me at the stake. I rather like living, and death by flaming reviews is not on my list of ways to go.**

**DISCLAIMER: ****The Hobbit**** belongs to J.R.R. Tolkien, the movie trilogy based on the events of ****The Hobbit**** belongs to Peter Jackson, and ****Percy Jackson and the Olympians**** as well as ****The Heroes of Olympus**** belong to Rick Riordan. Anything you recognize from the works mentioned above does not belong to me.**

* * *

A cloaked figure darted from shadow to shadow in the wavering, uncertain firelight. It was near-impossible to see the brown of the goatskin cloak against the earthy brown walls of the musty cavern or the black of the figure's robes in the flickering shadows. All in all, the strangely garbed figure was virtually unseeable, and that was a very good thing, for if her presence became known, she would be apprehended and caged—again. After living as a caged animal once, she was in no hurry to get caught spying.

She looked up to the sky to check the time, but was only met with stalactites and rock. That's right. She was in a cave, which was made entirely of earth, without any view of the sky. It would be _that_ much easier for Gaea to catch her.

_Remind me again why I'm doing this? I'm in her field of power, for the gods' sake! It's not as if the gods will be happy to listen to me about what I uncover. _The eavesdropper's thoughts were getting progressively more negative by the minute.

_Swishhh… ssswwishhh…_

_Huh, speak of the devil…_

The robes of the very being the figure was spying on dragged audibly against the ground. Pressing herself against the wall to allow Gaea to pass, the figure stayed as silent as possible while the being of power currently trying to destroy Olympus walked—sleepwalked?—over to the acid green fire in the center of the cave to wait for her other companions to arrive.

_Okay, _the figure thought. _This __**might **__take a little longer than expected, seeing as Tartarus is running later than anticipated._

Soft snores were heard as Gaea, apparently bored, fell into a slightly deeper sleep while loitering by the well-contained Greek fire. The figure was about to decide that eavesdropping was a lost cause when loud, thundering steps shook the very walls of the cavern. Gaea jolted back to her state of wakeful slumber from her light doze, resembling a teenager getting caught snoozing during a lecture by a teacher. It was a rather funny visual—Gaea's green robes darkened slightly at the shoulder where she drooled. Sadly, before it could be cast firmly into memory, the primordial pulled her churning overcoat of black dirt to cover the un-dignifying spot.

The firelight cast eerie shadows over the flickering, ever-changing form of Tartarus. Appearing originally as a hulking, muscled mass of purple skin with talon-tipped fingers, his appearance flickered dizzyingly to a thin, looming figure made seemingly of shadow.

"You're late," Gaea admonished scathingly.

"I only _just _got used to being metaphysical again. Why don't _you _try gallivanting about when you've only recently gained form," Tartarus snapped, sounding at that moment almost exactly like a petulant child who'd missed out on nap time. A five-year-old child, to be precise.

_It's a strange thing to hear,_ the goddess mused, _seeing as whenever Tartarus speaks, he seems to be sucking the sound of his voice back._

"Your spiritual form is stupid, and weak at best." Here, Tartarus seemed vaguely offended, but seeing as his face was a swirling vortex of black, it was a little hard to tell. "I believe I brought you here to discuss a way to remove my stubborn little pawn and his girlfriend from this plane so that my plans could go a little more smoothly without their meddling."

"Yes, I am aware of why you brought me here! I was only saying that it took me a little longer that usual to get here beca—"

"Then let's proceed," Gaea said, effectively silencing him.

With that, the smoke above the green flame solidified. It was surprising, to say the least even for a goddess. The lurker was certain that she saw the oh-so-powerful Tartarus jump. A pattern within the smoke swirled hypnotically, and, at Gaea's request, a scene played out in the smoke.

* * *

_ At sunset, Percy found Nico tying ropes around the pedestal of the Athena Parthenos. _

_"Thank you," Percy said._

_Nico frowned. "What for?"_

_"You promised to lead the others to the House of Hades," Percy said. "You did it."_

_ Nico tied the ends of the ropes together, making a halter. "You got me out of that bronze jar in Rome. Saved my life yet again. It was the least I could do._

_ His voice was steely, guarded. Percy wished he could find out what made this guy tick, but he'd never been able to. Nico was no longer the geeky kid from Westover Hall with the Mythomagic cards. Nor was he the angry loner who'd followed he ghost of Minos through the Labyrinth. But who was he?_

_"Also," Percy said, "You visited Bob…"_

_ He told Nico about their trip through Tartarus. He figured if anyone could understand, Nico could. "You convinced Bob that I could be trusted, even though __**I **__never visited him. I never gave him a second thought. You probably saved our lives by being nice to him."_

_"Yeah, well," Nico said, "not giving people a second thought… that can be dangerous."_

_"Dude, I'm trying to say thank you."_

_ Nico laughed without humor. "I'm trying to say you don't need to. Now I need to finish this, if you could give me some space?"_

_"Yeah. Yeah, okay." Percy stepped back while Nico took up the slack on his ropes. He slipped them over his shoulders as if the Athena Parthenos were a giant backpack._

_ Percy couldn't help but feel a little hurt, being told to take a hike. Then again, Nico had been through a lot. Percy understood firsthand just how much strength that must have taken._

_ Annabeth walked up the hill to join them. She took Percy's hand, which made him feel better. _

_"Good luck," she told Nico._

_"Yeah." He didn't meet her eyes. "You, too."_

_ A minute later, Reyna and Coach Hedge arrived in full armor with packs over their shoulders. Reyna looked grim and ready for combat. Coach Hedge grinned like he was expecting a surprise party._

_ Reyna gave Annabeth a hug. "We will succeed," she promised._

_"I know you will," Annabeth said._

_ Coach Hedge shouldered his baseball bat. "Yeah, don't worry. I'm going to get to camp and see my baby! Uh, I mean I'm going to get this baby to camp!" He patted the leg of the Athena Parthenos._

_"All right," said Nico. "Grab the ropes, please. Here we go."_

_ Reyna and Hedge took hold. The air darkened. The Athena Parthenos collapsed into its own shadow and disappeared, along with its three escorts._

* * *

_ The __**Argo II **__sailed after nightfall._

_ They veered southwest until they reached the coast, then splashed down in the Ionian Sea. Percy was relieved to feel the waves beneath him again._

_ It would have been a shorter trip to Athens over land, but after the crew's experience with mountain spirits in Italy, they'd decided not to fly over Gaea's territory any more than they had to. They would sail around the Greek mainland, following the routes that Greek heroes had taken in the ancient times._

_ That was fine with Percy. He loved being back in his father's element—with the fresh sea air in his lungs and the salty spray on his arms. He stood at the starboard rail and closed his eyes, sensing the currents beneath them. But images of Tartarus kept burning in his mind—the River Phlegethon, the blistered ground where monsters regenerated, the dark forest where __**arai **__circled overhead in the blood-mist clouds. Most of all, he thought about a hut in the swamp with a warm fire and racks of drying herbs and drakon jerky. He wondered if that hut was empty now._

_ Annabeth pressed next to him at the rail, her warmth reassuring._

_"I know," she murmured, reading his expression. "I can' together that place out of my head, either."_

_"Damasen," Percy said. "And Bob…"_

_"I know." Her voice was fragile. "We have to make their sacrifice worth it. We have to beat Gaea."_

_ Percy stared into the night sky. He wished they were looking at it from the beach on Long Island rather than halfway around the world, sailing toward almost certain death._

_ He wondered where Nico, Reyna, and Hedge were now, and how long it would take them to make it back—assuming they survived. He imagined the Romans were drawing up battle lines right now, encircling Camp Half-Blood._

_ Fourteen days to reach Athens. Then one way or another, the war would be decided._

_ Over in the bow, Leo whistled happily as he tinkered with Festus's mechanical brain, muttering something about a crystal and an astrolabe. Amidships, Piper and Hazel practiced their swordplay, gold and bronze blades ringing in the night. Jason and Frank stood at the helm, talking in low tones—maybe telling stories of the legion, or sharing thoughts on being praetor._

_"We've got a good crew," Percy said. "If I have to sail to my death—"_

_"You're not dying on me, Seaweed Brain," Annabeth said. "Remember? Never separated again. And after we get home…"_

_"What?" Percy asked._

_ She kissed him. "Ask me again, once we defeat Gaea."_

_ He smiled, happy to have something to look forward to. "Whatever you say."_

_ As they sailed farther from the coast, the sky darkened, and more and more stars came out._

_ Percy studied the constellations—the ones Annabeth had taught to him so many years ago._

_"Bob says hello," he told the stars._

_ The __**Argo II **__sailed into the night._

* * *

The figure shifted slightly in the shadows, unnerved by the way the smoke-mirror had allowed her to feel what the people it depicted felt, to hear their innermost thoughts the way that she had.

"Do you see how close they are to their goal, Tartarus? _Fourteen _days! Are you telling me that you can do nothing?" Gaea was absolutely _livid_. Her pawn was resisting her, which had at first been amusing, but was now posing as a threat to her well-laid plans.

With every word, the resident eavesdropper grew more and more amused. _She sounds just like Zeus, _the Olympian goddess thought. _He always was a drama queen when he didn't get his way.__  
_

The primordial of the abyss sighed wearily. "You are aware that in this realm, I am little more than the deep pit of despair and punishment that I represent. However… there is a place where I am gaining power… A place where my other form has a chance to dominate the realm."

"You don't mean…" Gaea trailed off, her monotonous, sleep-soaked voice gaining a slight tone of suspicion.

"Middle Earth, yes," he supplied impatiently, almost excited to have the other primordial actually thinking about what he had to say, much less even _considering _his idea as a key part of a plan.

_Like a puppy expecting praise. He must've been out of contact with the other primordials for a while. It's a little pathetic. _The goddess thought drily, trying to distract herself from her growing wariness. If she was caught… she shuddered.

Gaea nodded, her veil of dust bobbing with her head, yet her eyes remained closed from behind it. "Yes. It is possible that—" she cut herself off. "Are you _sure _that this plan will succeed?"

"Oh, Gaea, you doubt me so." Tartarus sounded mock offended. "Besides, nobody of consequence will be able to do anything about it. And… what better way to ensure that your 'pawn' won't fight back than to break his spirit? Another separation from his girlfriend could be just the thing to do it."

"If this plan fails," Gaea threatened, her voice as hard as diamonds, "The failure will be on you, Tartarus."

With that, the two primordials ended their meeting and vanished. A peacock plucked its way carefully into the cavern and stopped next to his mistress.

"Well now," she stated mischievously, "This could be _fun._ Perhaps the brat and her kelp-headed companion need a little… _vacation." _

Juno left the musty old cavern, mind spinning with plans on how exactly to pull this off. Time, after all, is a relative thing. What seems like months on one plane could be hours in another.

* * *

On the deck of the _Argo II, _Leo found the Tartarus escapees together and smirked.

Percy and Annabeth were curled up against one another. Wrapped in one another's embrace, both were brought pleasant dreams—if the dopey smiles on their faces said anything. Annabeth's blond hair glowed silver in the starlight, curling around her face and winding down her shoulder blades. Percy was less of a pretty sleeper. Already, his mouth had opened slightly, and he was drooling on his shirt.

With a press of the trigger on his Wii remote, Leo snagged a pic of the couple.

_Blackmail, sweet blackmail,_ he thought.

However, Piper saw the flash, marched over him, and dragged him away from the pair.

"Aw! C'mon beauty queen! That picture could make for great blackmail! Can you imagine what the Stoll brothers could swipe for me if I gave them the picture?"

Piper bristled at the nickname, but otherwise ignored Leo's protests. Hauling him over to Festus, she sat him within view of the fist-sized rubies. "Keep an eye on him," she told the bronze head of the dragon. He replied with a series of clicks that she assumed meant, '_Yes, Piper, I won't let him out of my sight.'_

She then rounded on Leo. "Now, I'm only going to say this once: _Be. Have." _Piper let her charmspeak soak her last two words, and once she ensured that Leo had listened, she left and resumed sparring with Hazel.

With the Latino pouting, the girls sparring, and the other boys having a serious discussion, nobody noticed the sleeping couple vanish in a flash of light. The only thing that the pair had left behind was a large peacock feather.


End file.
